Fascinating, this. As a Windows Phone 7 user, I can attest that it is every bit as good as iOS and Android - heck, in my experience, it is more polished, more consistent, smoother, and faster than either of those two. Yet, despite raving reviews and glowing user comments all over the web, Windows Phone 7 simply isn't selling. Former Windows Phone 7 general manager Charlie Kindel believes it's because neither carriers nor device makers like the control Microsoft exerts over the platform.

As a consumer, I finally have a choice, and these choices are equally on-par (in contrast with the home computer world, where Windows is on everything, Mac is stupid-expensive, and for the longest time, Linux was not a realistic option for users who dont wanna bother with command-line hackery).

And given the long history of having to deal with Windows, I most certainly chose NOT to go that route.